


reunited

by klaineanummel



Series: Story of My Life [8]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 19:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14119302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klaineanummel/pseuds/klaineanummel
Summary: Elliott runs into somebody he didn't think he'd ever see again.





	reunited

**Author's Note:**

  * For [finduilas1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/finduilas1/gifts), [AnomalyReads](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnomalyReads/gifts).



> This is for finduilas1, perfectanomaly, and an anonymous prompter on tumblr, who all wanted Elliott re-joining the group. This is... not exactly that, but I hope you will still enjoy it. I am thinking of writing another short fic set at this stage of the game sometime soon, but we will see. 
> 
> A small warning, this fic is set 8 years into the future from the last fic I posted. I know most of the fics I've posted so far have come in a bit of chronological order, but as of now they will no longer be. If you want to read things in chronological order, you can on the [tumblr masterpost](http://klaineanummel.tumblr.com/somlmasterpost). 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy, and as always, I am still accepting prompts for this verse! :)

**August 14 th, 2030**

He has a cantaloupe in each hand, eyes darting back and forth between the two, when he sees him.

Honestly, Elliott is a little surprised that he doesn’t drop the cantaloupes on the spot. After all, it’s not every day that he sees Kurt Hummel awkwardly waving at him from behind a grape display.

He manages to set the cantaloupes down gently before waving back. Kurt smiles, ever so softly, and then starts to make his way over.

Elliott swallows thickly, heart beating rapidly in his chest.

He used to think about this moment more than he’d like to admit. Seeing Kurt across a crowded coffee shop, bumping into him on the street, coincidentally sitting next to him at a bar. The idea of seeing Kurt Hummel again both terrified and excited him. He would spend hours thinking about what he would say, how he would act.

Actually, he’s a little embarrassed now that he thinks of how much time he used to spend imagining the situation he currently finds himself in.

That was years ago, of course. He hasn’t seen Kurt since 2022, and, to be honest, hasn’t thought of him in quite some time. To be honest, he can’t even remember the last time that Kurt Hummel crossed his mind.

“Hey,” Kurt greets, the hesitance clear in his voice.

“Hi,” Elliott replies, keeping one hand on a cantaloupe.

Kurt is still smiling, though Elliott can see the nerves behind it. “Wow, this is crazy,” Kurt says, hands rubbing together. “I haven’t seen you since—”

“Eight years,” Elliott says, then instantly winces. “Sorry,” he says. “I thought you were going to say ‘since you proposed and I dumped you’ and I didn’t…”

“Right,” Kurt nods, eyes dropping to the floor. “Elliott, I’m—”

“How have you been?” Elliott says quickly. “How’s everybody? Are you still – do you all still hang out?”

Kurt meets Elliott’s gaze briefly. “Yeah, we do.”

“Good, that’s good,” Elliott says, heart still beating twice it’s usual rate. “You know, I saw Tina and Quinn a few years ago at some Christmas party. Their kid is really cute.”

“Yeah,” Kurt says, and this time Elliott can see the genuine joy in his smile. “Eric’s a sweetheart. We all love him.”

“Can’t blame you. He seemed great.”

He looks away, trying to keep his breath steady. His palms feel wet, and he wonders how much longer they’re going to have to do this.

Despite not thinking about this for a while, he does remember thinking he’d be a lot cooler in this situation. Less awkward.

He also never thought it would feel this awful.

“What about you?” Kurt asks. “Are you still at Grace and Thompson?”

“I am, actually,” Elliott replies. “I just got promoted to CMO a few months ago. It’s been awesome.”

“That’s amazing, Elliott,” Kurt says. “Really, I’m so happy for you.”

“It’s been fantastic, yeah,” Elliott says, managing to meet Kurt’s eye for a brief moment before he looks away again. “Are you still at Vogue?”

“I am,” Kurt says, and Elliott turns to look at him again. “Currently doing more managing and editing than writing, but it’s great. I’m really happy.”

He notices a brief movement out of the corner of his eye as he nods at Kurt’s words. Eyes going down, he sees the way that Kurt is fiddling with a ring on his left hand.

“Oh, wow, look at that,” Elliott says, eyes widening at the golden band wrapped around Kurt’s ring finger. “How—” he cuts off for a second, feeling something in his throat, and coughs. Once his throat is clear, he continues, “How long have you been married?”

Kurt’s face bursts into a giant smile, so bright it almost hurts to look at. “Four years in December,” he replies. He is still fingering at his ring, though this time it looks more like a gentle caress than a nervous tick.

“Wow,” Elliott says. He clears his throat, then raises his own left hand. “Five years next month.”

“That’s amazing,” Kurt says, and it sounds like the first genuine thing he’s said so far. “I’m really, really happy for you, Elliott. What’s his name?”

“Jared,” Elliott says, feeling his own lips tick up at his husband’s name. “He’s incredible. The love of my life.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Kurt says, eyes soft. “You always…” he trails off, looking down at the floor for a moment before looking back up. “You deserve it, you know. The happily ever after.”

“Thanks,” Elliott says. He looks back at Kurt’s ring, then asks, “Well, what about your guy, huh? Who’s the lucky fellow? Oh, god,” a thought pops into Elliott’s head, causing his heart to slow down slightly and sink a little. “How upset was Blaine when you tied the knot?”

Kurt sucks in a deep breath, and Elliott sees the way his Adam’s apple bobs. He exhales softly, then says, “Actually, he was really happy.”

“Really?” Elliott can’t help but ask.

“Well, yeah,” Kurt looks down at his ring, lips spreading into a smile again. This one is soft, emotional. The kind of smile Kurt used to give him every time he bought Elliott flowers, or Elliott brought him chocolates. “I mean, it was his wedding, too.”

Elliott’s eyes widen, and Kurt’s smile just soften further. “Oh, wow,” Elliott says. “You and Blaine?”

“Yeah,” Kurt nods, cheeks dusted pink in a way that, years ago, drove Elliott crazy. “Since May of 2024.”

“That’s… wow, I didn’t expect that at all.”

Kurt chuckles. “Me neither,” he says.

“You just used to be so adamant—”

“I know,” Kurt says. “But it just… I mean, it’s Blaine.” He shrugs, smile bright like the sun, like there’s no other words for it.

Elliott thinks back to Tina and Quinn’s wedding, when Kurt had used those exact words to try and explain how ridiculous it was that Elliott might be jealous of Blaine.

Still, he manages to smile and nod, saying a quick and simple, “I’m really happy for you, Kurt.”

“Thanks,” Kurt replies, still smiling as well. “Hey, um,” he pulls his phone out of his pocket to check the time, then continues, “I actually have to run. Blaine and I are having dinner with Rachel and Cooper in an hour, and I was just supposed to run in here for some lemons,” he holds up a small bag with three lemons, that Elliott is surprised he didn’t notice before. “But… can I get your number? I’d love to get coffee sometime and actually catch up. Maybe Jared could join us?”

Elliott is surprised at the invitation, but still nods and takes his own phone out, already rattling his own number off. Kurt tells Elliott his own, and Elliott punches it in.

It feels strange to do this. Exchange numbers with the man who was once his best friend; his everything. Making plans to get coffee with him and Elliott’s _husband_.

“Blaine, too,” Elliott blurts when Kurt has finished telling him his number. Kurt still has that smile on his face, and Elliott wonders if it drives his friends crazy, how stupid in love Kurt obviously is.

“Of course,” Kurt replies. “I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

Elliott highly doubts that. Blaine may have acted cool around Elliott while he and Kurt were dating, but he always seemed to forget that Elliott had been around long before. He’d seen the way Blaine was around Adam, and Sebastian, and Cody, and he could see the same casual disdain in Blaine’s eyes every time they all hung out together. He wouldn’t be surprised if Blaine refused to come, not wanting to ever see Elliott again.

“Alright, well, I’ll leave you to it,” Elliott says, pushing his phone back into his pocket. “It was really great to see you, Kurt.”

Kurt nods, eyes admitting his honesty as he replies, “It really was.”

Kurt gives him a small wave goodbye, then starts to walk back toward that cashier. Elliott watches him go, phone feeling heavy in his pocket, and then finally turns back to what he came here for.

*

One of the amazing things about having married a teacher is that Jared is always around in the summer. Elliott knows he sometimes gets frustrated with Elliott’s demanding work schedule, but he himself is so thankful to have a husband who is always home when he arrives.

A husband who greets him with a happy kiss and a, “Did you remember the cantaloupe? Because I found a little bit of vanilla ice cream in the freezer, and I realize I’ve never tried that combination.”

Elliott nods, holding up the bag with the cantaloupe. His husband takes it, grinning as he does, and starts to head toward the kitchen. Elliott watches him walk away, smiling at the slightly smaller man as he goes. It barely takes him a moment to get his ass in gear and follow Jared into the kitchen, where he sees his husband placing the cantaloupe on the cutting board.

He walks up behind the man, wrapping a single arm around his middle, and pulling his back into Elliott’s front.

Jared tuts and says, “Honey, I’m using a knife right now. No sudden movements, okay?”

Elliott chuckles, then leans his head forward and presses a soft kiss to the back of Jared’s head. He’s been letting his hair grow back for the past few months, and Elliott smiles against the thick curls.

“What’s with you?” Jared asks, starting to cut up the melon. “Something amazing happen in the half an hour you were out?”

“Actually, I ran into Kurt.”

Jared stops, carefully setting the knife down on the counter, before turning in Elliott’s arms. “Kurt as in Kurt Hummel? Who dumped you when you proposed to him, like an idiot?”

Elliott smiles, shaking his head a little at his husband. Jared always said the same thing about Kurt, claiming only the stupidest person alive could say no to a proposal from Elliott. Elliott would, of course, always remind him that it was actually _good_ that Kurt said no, because otherwise they might never have met. That, he always said, would be way more stupid.

“Yep, that Kurt.” He tilts his head a little. “He said he wants us to meet up sometime.”

Jared raises a suspicious eyebrow, lips pressed together. “Just you and him?”

“No,” Elliott says, shaking his head. “Us. You and me, and Kurt and his husband.”

Jared hums, moving his arms so that they drape over Elliott’s shoulders. “I guess that would be okay,” he says, dragging some of the words out.

Elliott leans forward and presses their lips together softly. His husband hums again, and Elliott can feel his lips turning up against his.

“You want to know a secret?” Elliott asks as they separate.

“I didn’t think you had any more to tell me, so yes, please.”

Elliott chuckles, and says, “I’m not actually happy because I ran into Kurt and we’re going to meet up.”

“Oh? Well, that’s a relief,” Jared says, and Elliott rolls his eyes fondly. Jared smiles up at him, then asks, “Why are you happy, then?”

Elliott sighs happily and says, “You know what my biggest regret was about how things ended with Kurt?”

Jared nods instantly. “How you lost all your closest friends because of it.”

“Exactly,” Elliott says. “I feel like I’ve missed out on so much. I mean, Sam and Mercedes still text me about major life events, and Quinn and Tina call me about twice a year, but it’s not the same. Did I ever tell you that Cooper invited me to his wedding?”

“Actually, you didn’t,” Jared says, brow furrowing. “Why didn’t you?”

“I felt weird about it, to be honest,” Elliott says. “Seeing them all again, acting like I hadn’t been part of the group. As much as I wanted to rub my amazing new relationship in Kurt’s face,” Jared scoffs, but still smiles, “I didn’t think I could handle seeing everybody, watching them be happy together, and know that I wasn’t part of it anymore.”

Jared’s smile continues to grow, soft and kind. “So, this meet up with Kurt… you’re hoping it will give you an in back with your friends?”

Elliott nods. “Is that stupid?”

“Of course not,” Jared replies. “El, these were your best friends for a long time. It makes sense that you’d want to reconnect with them.”

Elliott licks his lips, sighing quietly. “I don’t expect to suddenly be back where we were,” Elliott says. “And, to be honest, I think it would be weird to be. You and I have amazing friends, too, and to be honest I don’t think I want to spend a large amount of my time hanging out with my ex,” he shrugs. “I think it would just be nice to actually see them once and a while, you know? They’ve all tried to keep in touch with me over the years, except for Kurt and Blaine. If I can make things okay with them, well…”

“I get it,” Jared says. “Hey, if my friends from college suddenly got in touch with me, I’d definitely try and make it work to see them again.”

“Even if Harley was included?”

Jared gasps. “How dare you.”

Elliott grins. “Hey, I’m just saying, if my ex is going to be around every now and again—”

“Don’t even,” Jared replies. “Emotional moment over. Congratulations, you ruined it.”

He tries to squirm out of Elliott’s embrace, but Elliott doesn’t let him. Instead, he pulls him closer, loving the way he can see Jared’s umber skin darkening. When they’d first met, Jared claimed it was impossible to make him blush, and one of Elliott’s greatest joys, to this day, was proving him wrong.

“Hey,” Elliott says as Jared pouts up at him. “I love you.”

Jared huffs and looks off to the side, lips pursed. He flicks his eyes up to Elliott’s for a brief second, then quickly says, “I love you, too.”

Elliott laughs and presses a kiss to his husband’s cheek before letting him go. Jared raises an eyebrow at him as he takes a large step away, and then says, “The vanilla ice cream is in the freezer.”

Elliott chuckles and nods, heading over to get it as Jared turns back to slicing the cantaloupe.

After pulling the ice cream out of the freezer, he takes his phone out and sends Kurt a text message, informing him that he and Jared would love to get dinner sometime with him and Blaine. He then slips his phone back into his back pocket and heads back to where his husband is slicing the cantaloupe.

He sets the ice cream down on the counter, and then, as casually as possible, says, “You know there’s a high chance that this will be absolutely disgusting, right?”

Jared snorts, and says, “Guess we’ll find out together, huh?”

Elliott grins, moving closer to Jared and wrapping an arm around his middle. “Exactly. Together.”

**Author's Note:**

> [rebloggable on tumblr](http://klaineanummel.tumblr.com/post/172321400030/reunited)


End file.
